Something that has been on my mind a fair bit recently is body image and our relationship with it...

Being tall and naturally thin I'm often asked how I stay so skinny, only to be met with groans and eye rolls when I say I don't really do a lot and have always been able to eat pretty much what I want. And that's not to say that I have a particularly unhealthy diet I'm just being honest that these are the genes I was blessed with and there's nothing more to it really.

People's constant commentary on my body and weight throughout my life, mostly not malicious, does make me wonder...why is it socially appropriate to comment on someone else's body shape at all? Isn't any commentary on other peoples bodies slightly inappropriate, even if it is a compliment? When did we stop celebrating our differences and feel like we all have to fit into one box? Any comparison, be it with our bodies or our lives in general, only leads to negative outcomes. Jealousy, being dissatisfied with what we have...why do we insist on comparing ourselves to each other constantly?

I've only ever known the body I have so I can't comment on how other people feel on this subject, maybe I would have a different view if my relationship with my body was one of hard work in order to maintain a healthy body weight. Maybe I wouldn't...who knows. What I do know is that there isn't just one type of body that is beautiful. There are millions, and they're ours, and we should own them and love them!

Of course everyone has parts of their body they wish they could change, even me, but why not work with what we've got! Being different is what makes us interesting and unique. There's no point comparing ourselves to others, we all have different DNA and therefore come packaged in different bodies with varying proportions, weights and heights.

We need to respect ourselves and embrace our bodies, especially as women when in so many other ways we aren't necessarily treated as equal. Why should our bodies and self image be part of that as well? They shouldn't and we have control over how we feel, how we make each other feel and how we build each other up. Let's be positive to ourselves, positive to one another and stop wishing for things we don't have and make the most of those we do have.

Get to know your body and love it for what it is as part of your Style Journey and spread the word to help others embrace their bodies as well!